The Selma Times-Journal

The “St. Phillips Street Boys,” who police said terrorized a neighborhood with guns protecting open-air drug sales, won’t be getting out of jail anytime soon.

A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Mobile said all 12 of the individuals indicted have been arraigned before a federal magistrate and all of them “have been detained,” meaning they will remain in federal custody until their trials. The earliest they can go to trial is later this fall.

The trial has been set for the October court term, with jury selection scheduled to begin Oct. 2, according to Charlie McNichol, law enforcement coordinator for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District.

Members of the Selma Narcotics Unit said the alleged drug dealers were operating a $5,000 a day business that included the sale of crack cocaine, powdered cocaine and marijuana. Officers, who had investigated the operation for three months before seeking state and federal assistance, said residents cheered as they served federal indictments in an early morning raid.

The case is styled United States v. Darrell Thompson, et al., and lists each suspect.

Indicted and held in federal custody are: Darrell O’Neal Thompson, Otto Davion Thompson, Christopher Ford, Frank Jeffrey McGill, Kashif Deondre Norwood, Jakarta Algernon Bonner, Kenneth Taiwon Moore, Kevin Javon Moore, Anthony Bernard Daniels, Derrick Andre Daniels, Terrance Keoki Callen and Kordell T. Sharp, according to the indictment.

They are charged with conspiracy to possess with intent too distribute controlled substances. If convicted, each faces a minimum of 10 years to life in federal prison, according to the indictment. Any of the defendants with a previous drug offense could be facing a minimum of 20 years, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

According to authorities, some of the alleged drug dealers would take up positions on the porches of elderly residents late at night, and have users come to them to make purchases. There were also alleged sellers who would stand in the street and serve customers in a drive-up fashion.